The site managers in Newham, east London, had requested a change to the Saturday curfew from its existing 12.30pm to 6.30pm.
Nevertheless, in response to protests and objections from locals, the government has now decided that the limits should stay in place.
The airport submitted a proposal to raise the annual passenger cap from 6.5 million to 9 million by 2031; however, the maximum number of flights permitted—up to 111,000 annually—remains unaltered.
LCA claimed that extra seats on new, “cleaner and quieter” aircraft will enable a rise in passenger volume.
The mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz, called the government’s decision a “victory” for the local population, while campaign group HACAN East referred to it as a “huge win for residents.”
But the airport also managed to get approval for a reorganization of flight schedule, boosting the number of early-morning flights from six to nine, which Ms. Faiz deemed “deeply” worrisome.
“We remain concerned about the detrimental impacts on the health and quality of life of our residents,” she continued, “so we will be carefully reviewing the decision notice and weighing all of our options.”
